The Universitat Oberta de Catalunya (UOC) was founded in Barcelona in 1995 as the world’s first online university. It has been providing high-quality accredited online education for the last 30 years. Its mission is to develop people’s talent throughout their lives.

The UOC has accompanied over 120,000 graduates from more than 150 countries in their personal and professional development. It has done so through a wide range of programmes, from bachelor’s degrees, master’s degrees, and continuing education to PhDs or open courses – programmes that adapt to every moment of their personal and professional lives. Its educational model focuses directly on the student, empowering them to make decisions about their future development.

With over 600 researchers and 50 groups, the UOC conducts research that focuses on interdisciplinary projects in the human and social sciences, education, health and technology. In its endeavours, it remains committed to open knowledge, interdisciplinarity and networked cooperation, promoting research into technology and the use of ICTs to bring about transformations in education and social equality.

The UOC believes that, through alliances and the community, can consolidate its systemic proposal while promoting the principles of equity and inclusion. With this in mind, it coordinates the OpenEU alliance, which is backed by the European Commission and brings together 14 universities and 13 associations, to create a pan-European open university that strengthens the European Higher Education Area.